1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved security identification document for use in a wide variety of identification and security systems and a method of making the improved security document. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an improved security access and authorization system using the improved security identification documents. As part of the improved security access and authorization system, an improved method for verifying and authenticating biometrics data is provided. In addition, the present invention relates to an improved airport security system including an automated personal identification and verification security system including an improved security document generating system, an improved luggage handling and identification system, a system and method of matching a person with one or more of (1) a personal identification document, (2) a personal object or luggage identification document and (3) a travel authorization document; and the present invention also relates to an improved security identification document in the form of a personal identification document such as a passport, visa, driver's license, a frequent traveler's card, a worker's identification card, a social security card, a healthcare card, land title document, ATM card, credit card, phone card, welfare recipient card, green card, gun permit and registration card, an object or luggage identification document or a travel authorization document and a method of making such improved security identification documents.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional security systems are heavily dependent upon the type of personal identification cards and the degree of difficulty of forging or altering such documents. Most conventional personal identification cards contain a photograph attached to a substrate and alphanumeric data which is printed on the substrate and/or stored in a magnetic strip provided on the card. These conventional personal identification cards are relatively easy to forge and alter and there is no reliable mechanism for detecting such forgery or alteration.
In addition, several conventional security systems rely on security personnel to attempt to verify a person's identity by comparing a person's appearance with a photograph on an identification document. Such a system is time consuming and is subject to human error.
Several security systems for identifying persons and matching a person to one or more of a conventional personal identification document, a travel authorization document or boarding pass, and a luggage or personal object identification document, are known and in use today. The conventional personal identification documents may include a driver's license or passport containing a photograph and written personal information such as name, address, height, weight, date of birth, social security number and other information. Some of the alphanumeric data may be stored in a magnetic strip on the personal identification document so as to be capable of being read by a conventional magnetic data reader.
The conventional object or luggage identification document usually comprises a ticket having data such as flight number, the name of the destination airport and departure airport and may include bar code data or other data capable of being optically or magnetically scanned for identifying an owner of the luggage and the desired destination of the luggage.
The conventional travel authorization documents usually comprise a boarding pass or ticket issued in response to the passenger providing a ticket agent with a purchased ticket and showing the ticket agent a conventional personal identification document. The conventional travel authorization document may also include alphanumeric data which is magnetically stored and readable or alphanumeric data that is readable using an optical scanning device.
These conventional identification documents are used in conventional security systems as follows. A passenger having a ticket for authorized travel will enter the airport and may have luggage or other personal objects scanned by an X-ray machine and/or metal detectors to check for explosive devices or other forbidden objects such as guns or knives. This luggage may include luggage to be checked and stored in the cargo area of an airplane and "carry-on" luggage which is to be carried onto the airplane by the passenger. After passing the luggage through the X-ray machine and/or metal detector, the passenger gives the luggage to be checked and stored in the cargo area of the airplane to a ticket agent along with a passenger ticket for authorized travel.
The ticket agent usually requests that the passenger present a conventional photo identification document if traveling domestically and a passport if the passenger is traveling internationally. The ticket agent visually matches the name on the passenger ticket with the name on the driver's license or passport and confirms that the photograph on the photo identification document is the person presenting the ticket for travel. The ticket agent then issues a boarding pass containing the passenger name, flight information, departure gate, seat assignment and other alphanumeric information which may be typed and/or magnetically stored on the boarding pass.
The ticket agent also generates a luggage identification tag or ticket for the checked luggage to be sent to the cargo area of the airplane. The luggage identification tag usually comprises a two part ticket, wherein one part of the ticket is attached to the luggage and the other part of the ticket is given to the passenger for identification and retrieval of the checked luggage at the arrival airport.
This system leads to many problems. The name on the passenger ticket can easily be forged especially given the fact that a passenger can provide an airline with any false name at the time of purchasing a ticket. Similarly, a driver's license, passport or other personal identification document can easily be forged. Furthermore, the ticket agent may make a human error or even forget to match the ticket, personal identification document and person requesting access to the boarding area.
After the passenger has checked the luggage to be carried in the cargo area of the airplane and has received a boarding pass from the ticket agent, the passenger then proceeds to the boarding area with any carry-on luggage. Before entering the boarding area, the traveler may be required to pass through another X-ray machine and/or metal detector and may also be required to show a boarding pass to gain access to the boarding area. Because the boarding pass may not be compared to the personal identification document during this second inspection, it is possible that the person who checked in with the ticket agent could give the boarding pass to another person and therefore, another person with no identification or forged identification may gain access to the boarding area and airplane. Also, it is possible that the person who provided the ticket agent with checked baggage to be sent to the cargo area of an airplane never attempt to enter the boarding area but instead only desires to have the checked luggage placed on the airplane. This may be an effective way for a terrorist to place a bomb on a plane.
After a passenger enters the boarding area, the passenger is usually only required to show the gate attendant or boarding attendant a boarding pass to gain access and entry to the airplane. Even if the passenger is required to again show personal identification, the passenger can show a forged personal identification document as described above.
After the passenger reaches a destination, there is no clear way of making sure that all passengers have left the airplane and are not awaiting a subsequent flight as a stowaway. Also, it is quite common that a thief may pose as an arriving passenger having a forged baggage claim ticket and steal a passenger's luggage. This type of occurrence is not prevented using the conventional identification documents and airport security system.
Other disadvantages with conventional security and luggage handling systems are also evident. The automatic luggage handling systems rely on relatively slow optical scanning technology which is not always reliable and slows down the luggage distribution and loading process. Because of the slow luggage identification systems, it is difficult to reconcile checked bags with boarded passengers to make sure that all passengers who check luggage have boarded the plane because of the relatively short time from check-in to boarding.
Also, under the current system, checked bags are usually loaded onto an airplane and then must be unloaded if the passenger or owner of the checked baggage does not board the airplane. This is a problem because the luggage is actually placed on the airplane for a period of time during which a bomb could explode or the luggage may not be identified and removed in time before the airplane leaves the airport.
In general, when efforts have been made to enhance the security and reliability of conventional identification documents and systems relying on such documents for maintaining security, increased costs, time consumption and security personnel have been required without successfully obtaining a highly reliable security system and preventing many of the problems with forgery and tampering with security identification documents and breaching of conventional security systems.
Furthermore, although multi-application data cards such as smart cards are known, these cards cannot be adapted to be used a personal identification card or to include personal identification data because of the ease of forging and/or tampering with the data stored on the multi-application data card. Thus, it has not been possible to combine a personal identification document such as a passport and/or driver's license with other related applications such as electronic ticketing for travel such as "EZ Ticket" processes, frequent travel awards, frequent purchase awards, credit or debit transactions, and other similar transactions or applications.